Gold
by WhumpageLover
Summary: Neal gets into trouble and Peter helps him out. Nealwhump.
1. Chapter 1

_**So I decided to come back and tweak this story. Plot is the same, I just added a few more details.**_

Neal turned the corner, into a long alley, he always took to work. He slowed, something seemed a bit off. Out of nowhere, somebody grabbed him and threw him up against the wall. Neal's head hit the concrete wall hard and he was slightly dizzy. He blinked a couple of times, trying to clear his head.

"Hello, Mr. Caffrey. You have access to something that I want."

"And that would be?" Neal sneered at the man.

"Twenty bars of gold, which your friend Peter has locked up in the evidence locker."

"I'm not going to steal anything from the evidence locker." Neal started to walk away. The man grabbed Neal and held a knife to his throat. Neal stiffened at the touch of the cold metal on his throat.

"You will do what I tell you or Peter's wife dies." The man held a picture up and Neal's eyes went wide. It was El, in her kitchen doing dishes. "You have until three o'clock. I'll be in touch. If you tell anyone, she's dead." The man gave Neal another shove and disappeared. Neal's head was spinning, should he tell Peter or keep quiet? Should he risk Ellie's life by informing Peter?

Neal cautiously made his way to the office. He was on high alert and jumped at every loud sound. When Neal stepped off the elevator, Peter was waiting for him.

"You're late."

"I know." Neal's voice shook. "Can I talk to you? Alone." Peter led the way to his office. Neal shut the door. He let out a sigh and turned to face Peter. "This morning…" A red dot shined brightly on Peter's forehead. Neal panicked didn't he hadn't expected snipers to be waiting. "Um…never mind." Neal quickly left Peter's office and practically ran to his own desk. Peter stood confused in his office, but became distracted quickly with his work. Every once in a while, Peter would look up from his paperwork and watch Neal twitch nervously. Something was troubling him and Peter was determined to find out what it was.

Diana walked in with a box, with tape that said evidence on it. Neal's eyes landed on the tape and the wheels in his head started turning. He stood to help her with it.

"Need any help with that?" Diana looked at Neal and immediately knew something was off.

"No, I'm fine. But thanks." Neal was about to ask again, when her phone rang. She looked at Neal and rolled her eyes. She passed him the box. "Go log this into evidence." Neal nodded and grabbed the box. He swiftly grabbed his briefcase and headed to the evidence room. He hoped his plan would work.

When he was inside the evidence locker, he moved quickly and located the bars. He moved them to another part of the room and found a box of rocks. He placed the equivalent weight of rocks as gold into his suit case and quickly left the evidence locker. He swiftly placed the brief case under his desk and sat down as if nothing had happened. As soon as he was settled, the phone on his desk rang. Neal picked it up.

"Very good, Mr. Caffrey. I will be at the front of the police station in ten minutes, you better be waiting." The line went dead. Neal calmly replaced the phone into its holder and rose. He made his way to Peter's office. Before he could enter, Peter looked up.

"Can I help you Neal?" Peter could clearly see worry and fear in Neal's eyes. He hoped that Neal would tell him what was going on.

"Yeah, I'm going to take a lunch break." Neal turned to leave, but froze when Peter responded.

"That sounds good, I'll go with you." Neal turned back around.

"No, um, it looks like you have a lot of work to do, so I'll bring you something." Before Peter could reply, Neal was down the stairs, briefcase in hand, headed for the elevator. Peter glanced at Diana.

"Something is up." Peter stood and put his jacket on. "Watch the office, I'm going to figure out what's going on." Diana nodded and watched as Peter raced after Neal. Something told her to follow him, so she did.

Just as Neal walked out the front doors a black car with tinted windows rolled up. The front passenger window rolled down. The same man from the alley smiled evilly at Neal.

"I see you have what I want." Neal walked towards the car and handed the briefcase to the man. He smiled and looked back Neal.

"Now leave and don't bother me or anyone I know." The man seemed to ponder this.

"Just one more thing." Neal looked confused. "I know you, you're going to go to your buddy Peter and tattle on me." The man raised a gun to Neal. Neal took a couple steps back.

'No, I won't. I promise." Just then Peter burst through the front doors.

"Neal!" Neal looked at Peter and then the man.

"No. It's not what you think. I didn't tell him anything."

"Not taking any chances." The man fired at Neal and then the car sped away. The man watched in the rearview as Neal's body hit the ground. He laughed and focused on the suitcase in his lap.

Peter froze when he heard the gunshot. Time seemed to slow as Neal fell to the ground and the car sped away. Peter went into cop mode and tried to catch the license plate number. When the car disappeared he dropped down next to Neal.

"Neal?" His breathing was labored and his eyes were glazed over. "Neal, can you hear me?" Blood seeped from the wound on his chest.

"P-peter?" Neal's eyes met Peter's. "You're welcome." Peter's face twisted with confusion. He placed his hand on Neal's chest, trying to slow the bleeding.

"For what Neal." He looked into his friend's eyes and willed him to have enough strength to survive.

"He threatened to k-kill El a-and y-you. I-I saved y-you."

"How did you Neal?" Peter was confused. Who threated to kill them and why?

"I pretended t-to s-steal g-gold from t-the e-evidence locker." It was becoming harder for Neal to breath. "I-I put a t-tracker in the case."

Peter looked up when sirens could be heard. He hadn't even thought to call them, but with a quick glance around, he noticed that Diana was standing behind him, phone in hand. He gave her a nod of approval and put his attention back on Neal. His eyes were now closed and his chest no longer rose or fell.

"Neal!"


	2. Chapter 2

Peter paced back and forth. The small waiting room seemed to be closing in on him. All he wanted to do was run away as fast as he could, away from this whole situation. Anger, fear, and desperation bubbled inside him. He glanced at the clock again, the thing ticked loudly but time didn't seem to pass. His phone in his front pant pocket buzzed.

"What?!"

"Peter…" Diana's voice was tired. "We picked up the GPS tracker that Neal stuck into the suit case."

"Good, go get them." Peter hung up the phone. He didn't want to do anything else but see Neal. Suddenly, he remembered that he hadn't called El. She would want to know, because somehow Neal had weaseled his way into the Burke family.

"Hi, honey!" El sounded surprised.

"El..." Peter couldn't say anymore. Suddenly, tears were streaming down his cheeks and he was holding back a sob.

"Peter?" Peter couldn't respond, his throat was dry and tears clouded his vision. El waited for an answer. "Peter! Are you hurt? Did something happen? Where are you?"

"El, it's Neal." Peter wiped the tears off his cheeks. "He's hurt bad."

"I'm coming." Peter sat down in a hard plastic chair and let the tears spill from his eyes.

"Peter!" Burke looked up and met his wife's eyes. She looked frantic. "Tell me. What happened?"

"Neal, well he was late to work this morning, and then he was really acting strange. I didn't think anything of it until he didn't want me to go with him for lunch. So I decided to follow him. Just as I walked outside I saw him hand a briefcase to a man in a car. And I called to him, and then... and then...he shot him." Peter looked up. "El, if I wouldn't have said anything, then Neal wouldn't be…" Peter placed his head in his hands as new tears formed.

"Peter Burke! Stop that right now, you always do that. You blame yourself for everything bad that happens, when you have nothing to do with it. Now, what was in the briefcase and why was Neal giving it to them?"

Peter was about to respond but his cell phone rang.

"This is Burke." Diana's voice flowed through the phone, she sounded out of breath.

"We found him boss. He tried to run, so Jones shot him in the leg." Peter tried not to grin.

"I want to personally question him, but…"

"I know, you're needed there." Peter hung up the phone and faced his wife.

"Diana and Jones got him. When I get a hold of him, he's going to wish that he was dead." Anger once again replaced the fear in Peter's gut.

"Ok, they caught him. Now finishing telling me why Neal was giving the man a briefcase." Peter explained that the man had threated to kill him and El. And Neal was only trying to be the good guy and keep them safe.

"So Neal is a hero." Peter nodded in agreement to his wife's statement. Peter looked at the clock and noticed that some time had passed. He placed his hand in El's small delicate hand and reminisced on the good times with Neal. He smiled as he remembered times when Neal somehow got out of trouble the he wasn't even supposed to be in. He was so lost in memories that he almost didn't here his name being called.

"Agent Burke." A doctor was standing in the doorway of the ER. Peter stood and walked over to him.

El watched as the doctor talked to Peter. She prayed that good news was being passed between the two, but Peter's back was to her and the doctor showed no emotion. Finally, the doctor went back through the doors. El waited for Peter to come to her, but he just stood staring at the wall. She stood slowly and walked to him.

"Peter?" She placed a hand on his shoulder. "What did the doctor say?" He slowly turned to look at her. Peter had unshed tears in his eyes.

"He's in ICU. But they don't think that he'll make it through the night. The bullet did a lot of damage to his heart and he lost a lot of blood." A single tear fell from Peter's eyes. Suddenly, Peter was overwhelmed with anger. "You stay here. I'm going down to the station." Peter pulled out his phone and called Diana.

"I'm coming in. Get that son-of-a-bitch ready for questioning."

El watched as her husband walked away. She turned back around and found a nurse to lead her to Neal's room. She blinked back her own tears and tried to be strong as she entered his room.


	3. Chapter 3

Peter Burke stormed into the office. Diana was by his side in a second. She saw his look of rage and instantly pointed towards his office. Through the glass he could see a man dressed in orange with cuffs on. A uniformed officer stood next to him and another stood by the door. He nodded to Peter and opened the door. Before Peter was completely in the room the prisoner spoke.

"Hello Peter." Burke walked to his desk and sat down. "I'm sure you want to know some things."

"You would be correct on that one." Peter glared at him. He glanced down at the file on his desk. Peter read the name. "So, Thomas Morgan..."

"Ok I'm going to stop you there. Only my mother calls me Thomas. It's Tom."

"Tom. Let's start from the beginning. Why did you want Neal to steal the gold?"

"He's the best conman, I knew that he could do it."

"So, other than obvious reasons, why did you want the gold bars?"

"They belong to my boss."

"And your boss is..."

"I'm loyal to him so you will never know."

"Ok, moving on. Why did you shoot Neal Caffrey?"

"I felt like it." Anger bubbled inside Peter. His hands clenched into fists and he shook with rage.

"You shot someone because you _felt_ like it!" Tom smerked.

"Yea. That's right." Peter was having a hard time controlling his anger. He thought that if he got any angrier, he'd turn into the Hulk.

Peter wanted to strangle the guy. He wanted to take him out back and beat the crap out of him. He wanted to put a few bullets in him. For the first time in Peter's life he truly wanted to kill the man in front of him.

"Take him out of here." The two officers escorted Tom out to the waiting police car. Peter watched the car disappear into New York traffic. As the car disappeared so did his anger. Fear and worry for his friends life replaced the rage. His phone began to vibrate. Eyes still focused outside, he answered the phone.

"Hello."

"Peter."

"Hi, El. That guy was a real scumbag. I had to stop myself from strangling the guy."

"Peter, you might want to get down here, fast."

"Is...is...he still..."

"He's still alive, but.."

"I'm on my way." Peter ran to his car and sped towards the hospital. He threw the car in park, not caring that he wasn't parked straight and ran towards the ER. El wasn't in the waiting room so Peter approached the desk.

"Can I help you."

"Yeah, I'm looking for Neal Cafferey." The secretary typed away.

"He's in the last room on the right." Peter ran to the end of the hall and entered the room. El sat in a chair pulled close to the bed. She had unshed tears in her eyes. Peter walked to her and gave her a hug. When she pulled away, tears rolled down her face.

"His heart is beating slower than it should and he isn't breathing on his own. He's fading fast." For the first time, Peter looked at Neal.

He looked like a child, in the hospital bed. His hair seemed darker next to his pale skin. His breathing seemed fake and labored. His lips looked blue. Neal didn't move, not even a twitch. The beeping of the monitor was quiet and each beep came slower than the first.

Peter felt as if he was dreaming. Neal can't die. He's a conman, he can con his way out of this one right? The reality suddenly hit him, he was going to lose his best friend. Peter sank into a chair and sobbed like a little girl. El tried to comfort him, but it didn't help much. The only thing that would help, was Neal.

El waited until Peter's sobs stopped and then she stood and went for some coffee. She purposely slammed the door, hoping to waken Peter so he can have some alone time with Neal. In the hallway, a nurse glared at her for slamming the door. El shrugged and went the opposite direction of the nurse.

Peter opened his eyes, when had he fallen asleep? He blinked a couple of times. It was probably midnight. He yawned and and reached a hand out to Neal. El was no longer in the room, so Peter decided to vent.

"Neal. To be honest...you're my best friend and I don't want to lose you. You have become a part of my family and...and..." Tears threatened to fall. "Just pull through, ok?" Peter leaned back in his chair, his hand still in Neal's. He watched the slow rise and fall of Neal's chest and listened to the faint beating of his heart. He leaned forward and placed his head on Neal's bed.

"I'm here Neal, just hang on. Please." Peter's eyes slid shut and he slipped into a peaceful dream, where Neal was ok and his family was whole again.

El walked back into Neal's room. The sight in front of her, warmed her heart. Peter was fast asleep, head resting on Neal's bed. She smiled sadly and snapped a quick picture because this might be the last moment Peter had with Neal. She closed the door silently and went to the waiting room, where Diana and Jones were waiting. They refused to go home. She smiled when she entered the waiting room. They both stood.

"How is he?"

"No change." El handed them both a coffee and sat down.

Neal felt like he was floating. He was going higher and higher, closer to the light. The light was warm and inviting. It called to him and coaxed him closer. But the closer Neal got the sadder he felt. He knew that he was leaving behind the people he loved the most. Peter's face popped up in his mind. He had finally made a real friend, how could he leave him? He tried to turn away, but the light kept pulling him closer. When the light had completely consumed him, a deep voice spoke to him.

"Neal Caffrey. Are you ready?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Neal are you ready?"

"No!" Fear crept into Neal. He wasn't ready to die. He had so much to live for. "Let me go back. I won't disappoint you." Neal struggled against the light and warmth. Suddenly, it disappeared and he was surrounded by cold and dark. At first he was scared, but then he heard a familiar voice and he knew that he would be safe.

Peter felt stiff and still tired. He sat up and tried to stretch, his back groaned in protest. He yawned and stood up. The sun was cascading through the window and landing on Neal. In this moment Neal just looked like he was sleeping, and not close to death. Sadness washed over Peter, but hope still flourished. Neal had made it through the night, when the doctors had said he wouldn't. Right as Peter sat down, El walked in with coffee and doughnuts. Peter smiled at her and she pulled a chair next to him.

"Neal's strong, he'll make it." Peter just nodded in response. And gladly accepted the coffee.

Peter had his face buried in the newspaper when a nurse came in to check on Neal. Peter watched her carefully. She wrote some things down and then left quickly. She didn't say anything, so Peter assumed that everything was the same as before. As soon as Peter had focused back on the paper, the door opened again. Neal's doctor came in.

"Mr. Burke, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Why?"

"Neal seems to be breathing on his own so we are removing the tube." The news sparked the hope in Peter. Without another word he left and let the doctors do their work. He paced in the hallway. After a couple of minutes the doctor left the room and came to Peter.

"How is he?"

"Better than expected. He is now breathing on his own and there are signs that he will wake up soon."

Peter almost pushed past the doctor to get back to Neal's room. Peter was surprised at how much color had come back to Neal's face. He sat back down in hi spot and grabbed Neal's hand.

"I'm still here Neal. Take your time to recover. I'm here." Peter nearly jumped when Neal began to move. "Neal?" Neal seemed to respond to Peter's voice. "Neal, can you hear me?" Peter watched Neal closely. Slowly Neal's eyes opened. At first they appeared to be slightly glazed over but after a few blinks they cleared.

"Peter?" Neal's voice was weak and dry. Peter grabbed a small cup of water off the side table.

"Here have some water." Neal drank greedily. "You scared everyone." Peter smiled softly. "But you scared me most."

"I scared myself. I thought I was dead." Both men looked when the door opened. El walked in.

"Neal!" El darted forward and gave Neal a careful hug. "I knew you would make it."

Neal smiled and was glad that he fought the light. He had a real life now and he wasn't ready to give it up.

Throughout the day many people came to visit Neal. They all seemed so happy that he was ok. That day Neal realized that he had a family, they may not be blood family, but they were family. And he vowed to never lose them, he loved them too much.


End file.
